Piston-sealing means



May-7, 1929. N. A. cHRlsTENsEN PISTON SEALING MEANS Filed Feb. 19, 192'? 5X Arrow/VWS.

Patented May 7, 1929.

NIELS A.. CHRISTENSEN, CLEVELAND, OHIO.

rIsToN-SEALING MEANS.

Application niearebruary 19, 1927. serial No. 169,565.Vv

The invention relates topistonipacking. The object of the invention is to provide a piston packing of the type wherein a thin metal cup engages at its sides against the cylinder wallto form an obturator preventing the escape of pressure fluid fromA the pressure chamber past the piston. t

In devices of this character it has been found that the 'variance lin the thickness .of the wall of the cup andthe slight inaccuracies of the cylinder bore make it a very difficult matter to obtain an efficient seal and prevents the manufacture of devices of this kind upon a quantity production basis. It has been proposed to spread or expand the sides .of the cupagainstI the sides of'the cylinder wall by a solidv member 1n springf pressed engagement with the cup and in my prior application Serial No. 130,438, iled August-20 1926, I have.shown a piston ring for. this purpose. However, such devices have not provedl entiirely satisfactory because of their inability to engage the entire cup area and compensate f or production inequalities and the inequalities pf the cylinder wall. The lobject of this inven-` tion is to associatel with dthe metal cup a spring. of relatively small diameter having its coilsextending in the plane oithewertical axis of the cylinder, and more particularly to mount this coil upon an expansible ring mem er formed of a plurality of sections tha are spring-pressed outwardly thereby bringing the light spring into the most effective cooperative relationship with the sides of the cup to insilre'its efficient sealing engagement with the cylinder in which the piston works.

f y The invention further 4consists in the several features hereinafter setforth andmore particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawingsFig. 1 is a vertical sec.

tional view through a cylinder having its piston equipped with a packing construction embodying the invention; v

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig: 1; u Fig. 3 is a detailside elevation view of the cup-expanding s ring. f n s Referring to t e drawings, the numeral4 designates the main body of the cylinder in which the piston works having a bore 5fand here shown as a brake` cylinder closed at itsl ends by covers 6 detachably .secured thereto by bolts 7.

As shown, a pair of pistons work in said bore 5Land move outwardly in opposite directions under the action of pressure Huid introduced into said cylinder'between thel pistons by way of a port 8 connected with a suitable source of supply.

Each piston includes a piston-rod 9 slidably mounted ina guide bushing 10 in one of the4 covers 6 and having a reduced threaded end 11, a shoulder 12 and an exterioi; head 13. A piston head 14 in the form of aq Inetal4 disk fits over the reduced The piston packing construction includes a thin", flexible and somewhat resilient metal cup 15 having an annular flange portion 16 engaging the bore 4 and a flat disk porti/.on 17 abutting against the head' 14 and fitting over the end 11 of the rod 9 or abutting against a thin fibre disk'or washer 18 interposed between said head and the central portion of the cup. The cup l is firmly clamped to the head by -a follower in the form .of -an annular plate 19 whose central. opening fits over the threaded end 11 of the rod 9 so that the cup being clamped at its central portion by meansof a nut 22' between the plate 19 Kand the head 14 or the washer 18 abutting against said head serves as a gasket to prevent the escape of pressure fluid along the rod 11 past the head 14. This plate engages the greater portion of the diamterof the 'cup though it may be recessed, as at 20, and it has'a 4laterally-ex tending annular flange portion 21 whose periphery is inn close relation. withfthe wall of end 11 and abuts against the shoulder 12.

the bore. The plate 19 in addition to acting as a clamp for the cup 15 also cooperates with lthe plate or head 14 to form an annularspace 224 and-also acts as a filler to reduce the clearance 'space-in the pressure chamber so that the piston will respond quickly todiffei'ences in pressure existing in 'the pressure-chamber which, in the form shown,is 'between the pistons. A nut 22t 24 with a compression spring 25 mounted in Vbores in adjoining sections and serving to l vexpand these sectionsk outwardly into engage,

lilo' ment with the sidesof the cup. The ring is somewhat narrower than the width of the space 22 so that there is slight clearance between the sides of this ring and the sides of the annular vspace 22 formed by the head 14 and the liange 21 and the bottom of the cup so that there is a free movementof this ring.

. each side and a tapered rear portion 29 adjacent the bend formed between the side and bottom wallsof the cup. This ring with the sections contracted or as a single ring is slightly smaller in diameter than the inside diameter of the cup. l i

A spring 30 of relatively larger diameter than the inside of the cup and of small diameter wire and of few coils, for example, two Aor three, and of a wire diameter substantially'equal to ,the depth of the groove 26 is mounted therein. There is a slight clearance between thek sides of the coil and the sides of the groove 26.

When the wire coil 30 is put in place o the ring and the piston inserted into the cylinder yit forms, because of the slight itchof the coils and the small diameter o the wire, substantially a circle contacting with the cup and when assembled with the ring, cup and piston and inserted within the cylinder makes the sides of the cup, opposite to which it enga-ges, follow the cylinder wall, allowing for production variations both in roundness and parallelism. of the cylinder bore, slight diiferences in cylinder diameter, cup wall thickness and any wear that may occur, and counteracts the tendency of the contraction of the sides of the cup so that the c up is maintained in efficient sealing engagement with the wall of the cylinder bore at all times so that leakage between .the bore and cup is eifectively prevented. Where the ring 23 is made up of expansible sections the coiL 30 is free to expand and contract circumferentially by sliding in its groove and is continually pressed outwardly against the cup wall by the sections 24 through the spring 25.

Where the ring23 is formed in one piece the expansive action of the coil 30 alone. is relied upon to keep the sides of the cup l against the bore in which it works.

It will, of course, be understood that with either of these constructions the whole width of the side of the cu is not entirely in' contact with the cylin er wall but that substantially only that portion of the cup against which the coil 30 is acting is in contact atall times though where the pressure fluid is introduced into the cylinder it will act upon the sides of the cup to secure a greater contact and thus a further sealing area as the piston or istons move outwardly under the action of t is Huid.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to belimited to any particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are included in the claims or necessitated by the prior art.

What I claim as my inventionis:

1. In a piston packing, the combination with a piston, of a thin metal cup secured thereto and having its side wall adapted to engage the bore of the cylinder in which the piston works, a ring mounted within the cup and provided with a groove, and a coiled spring of a diameter substantially the same as the depth of said groove engageable with the side wall of the cup over a limited area and free to expand and contract lengthwise in said groove and exerting pressure against the side Wall of the cup to maintain it in seailing engagement with the bore of the cyl- 1n er.

2. In a piston packing, the combination with a piston, of a thin metal cup secured thereto and having its side wall adapted to engage the bore of the cylinder in which the piston works, an expansible ring mounted within the cup and provided with a peripheral groove adjacent the side wall of the cup, means permitting a limited sliding movement of said ring relative to said piston, and a coiled spring of a diameter substantially the same as the depth of said groove and free to expand and contract lengthwise in said groove and exerting pressure against the side wall of the cup to maintain it in sealing engagement with the bore of the cylinder.

3. In a piston packing, the combination with a piston, of a thin metal cup secured thereto and having its side wall adapted to engage the bore of the cylinder in which the piston works, a sectional ring, with spring means between the sections forming an expansible ring, mounted within the cu and provided with a peripheral groove adjacent the side wall of the cup, and a coiled spring having its coils extendingin the direction of the vertical axis of the piston and of a diameter substantially equal to the depth of said groove, the peripheral portions of each of the coils being engageable with the side wall of the cup over a limited area, said spring being free to expand and contract lengthwise in said groove and exerting pressure against the side wall of the cup to maintain it -in sealing engagement with the bore of said cylinder. w

4. In a piston, the combination of a pistonrod, a pair of plates secured thereto and having an annular space formed between them, a ring disposed in said space and having ,limited lengthwise movement therein, a thinmetal cupI secured between said plates said ring being' mounted within said cupand havinga peripheral groove and a coiled i spring having Iits coils extending substantially in the direction of the vertical axis of' the cylinder "mounted in said groove and.

exerting pressure against the side wall of said cup over a limited area to maintain this portion ofthe cup in sealing engagement with the bore of the cylinder in which the piston works. 1 5. In a piston packing, the comblna-tlon of a piston-rod, a pair of plates secured' thereto and having an annular space formed between them, a sectional ring disposed in said space, springs between the sections of said ringserving to expand said sections out- \wardly, a thin metal cup secured between` said plates, said ring being mounted wlthin said cup and having a peripheral groove, and a spring of few coils, with its coils arranged transversely of said piston, mounted in said groove and exerting pressure against the sidewall of said cup over a limited area to maintain this portion of the 4cup in seal-l ing engagement with `the bore of the cylinder in which the piston works, said last-named spring being free to contract or expand lengthwise in said groove upon the expansion or contraction of said ring.

6. -In a piston packing, the ,combination with a piston, of\a thin metal cup secured effecting an eiiicient sealing engagement'be-i tween said cup and bore. r e

7. In a piston packing, the combination `with a piston, of a thinI metal `cupsecured thereto and having its side wall adapted t0 engage the bore of the cylinder in which the piston works, a coiled spring having its 'coils concentric with and engaging the side walls of the cup, and means -for holding said spring in engagement with the inner side- Wall of the cup.

8. 1n a Mpiston packing, the combination with a piston, of a thin metal cup secured thereto and having its side wall adaptedto engage the bore of the cylinder in which.

the piston/works, a coiled vspring having its coils concentric withand'engaging theside walls of the cup, and expansible means for holding said spring 1n engagement with the inner side wall of the cup.

9. In a piston, the combination of a piston rod, a pair of plates secured'I thereto and having an annular space formed between them, a ring disposed in said space andhaving a limited lengthwise movement therein, a thin metal cup secured between said plates,

said ring being mounted within said cup and i Lhavingta groove and aspring mounted in said groove and exercising pressure against the side wall of saidcup to maintain the cup in sealing engagement with the bore of the cylinder in which the piston works.

ture.

NIELS A. oHnIsTENsEN.

sov

In testimonywhereo-I affixv my signa 

